


Starlight, Starbright. First Star... wait, where the fuck did it go?

by FireflySong



Series: Pride Month Writing Prompt Challenge 2020 [25]
Category: Tales of Phantasia
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Humor, Secret Relationship, Stargazing, so secret in fact, that neither admit its there
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-28
Updated: 2020-06-28
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:39:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24957733
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FireflySong/pseuds/FireflySong
Summary: Arche joins Chester on his night of watch to do some stargazing together. Except, things quickly get out of hand when they both start arguing about the lack of a North Star.Written for Day 25: Stars of the Pride Month Writing Prompt Challenge over on tumblr.
Relationships: Chester Burklight/Arche Klein
Series: Pride Month Writing Prompt Challenge 2020 [25]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1770988
Kudos: 8





	Starlight, Starbright. First Star... wait, where the fuck did it go?

**Author's Note:**

> you're all still stuck with me here sorry! and its just some more fluff and humor. you know, just the usual archester shenanigans coming from me! its also probably pretty obvious at this point that i headcanon that arche and chester are both totally aware that they're both super into each other, they just refuse to do anything about it. like, 'who cares if we were totally just cuddling under the stars, as long as neither of us mention that its happening, then it never happened in the first place' type of bullshit. i love it.
> 
> you can find me on tumblr at love-fireflysong if you feel so inclined!

It was starting to happen more and more often. The twin moons of Sylvarant and Tethe’alla were bright in the sky above them, and cast moonlight onto the plains where everyone had decided to camp that evening.

“The north star is that way!”

“That’s not even north, you idiot. The direction you’re pointing in is totally east.”

Arche stuck her tongue out at Chester. “Nuh uh! The north star is supposed to be the brightest star in the sky, that one is totally the brightest.”

“What? Who told you that? That’s not even a thing.”

“It totally is! I mean, how else do people find their way north when they get lost?”

“By using a compass.”

“Not everyone has a compass, moron.”

“Yeah, well you’re the exception, not the norm. Most _sane_ people have compasses.”

Arche makes a face, and none to gently pokes Chester in the side with her finger. Who makes the same face back and gives her his own jab into the side. They continue their poking and prodding at each other, movements becoming more erratic as they almost start pushing the other to ground. The sound of Claus rolling over in his sleep with a loud snore makes them both freeze.

It’s only once they’re sure that Claus has settled back down for the night, that they sigh in relief that they haven’t been caught and return to their stargazing. The even return to their original positions they had been in before the childish fight had started: hands clasped tightly with their fingers tangled between them, and Arche leaning her head on his arm while he rested the side of his on top of hers.

It was starting to happen more and more often. Holding hands while the others were asleep. Leaning on each other like this. It was honestly kind of terrifying to Arche sometimes. Terrifying how nice this was. How nice it felt. 

Terrifying how much she was going to miss it when they had to go back home.

“Well, how do people who don’t have compasses find their way back then?”

“They follow the stars, genius.”

“And how exactly are they supposed to do that without a north star to guide them?”

Chester groaned and she didn’t have to look to know that he was rolling his eyes at her. “They use the constellations. Like if you follow the blade of the Midgards Knight, you’ll eventually come to Migdards.” He pointed towards a shape that kind of looked like a knight if she squinted real hard, and tilted her head all the way to the right. “Or that if you follow the stars then you can find the trunk of the Tree over in the south.” She followed his finger as it traced a line, or branch she supposed, in the sky that did eventually end at a thick cluster of stars. 

“And just why, exactly, do you know this?”

“It’s cause I was a hunter. Had to provide meat for Toltus and stuff. Be a crappy one if I got lost one night and couldn’t find my way back home.”

“I mean you’re a pretty crappy one already... miss more shots with your bow then you hit.”

“Please, my accuracy is way better then yours. Don’t think I didn’t notice your Cyclone earlier. You didn’t hit a single thing with it.”

“Jackass.” Arche squeezes his hand when she says it.

“Ditz.” Chester squeezes back, but then rubs a thumb lightly across her knuckles.

Both of them fall silent for a moment, not doing anything to bring attention to their hands. If they don’t mention it, then they don’t have to talk about it. This is easier. Will make things easier when they have to separate after all of this is said and done.

It won’t. They both know that. They both don’t care.

“Well, if there’s no north star, then how do people find their way north without a compass.”

“It’s simple moron. They just have to find the Hole.”

“I’m sorry, the what? You sure that someone wasn’t just playing a dirty joke on you?”

Chester sputters indignantly and Arche laughs, taking advantage to make herself more comfortable against his arm. If the movement counts as snuggling closer, well, then that can be their little secret. Just another to add to what she’s pretty sure is a goddamn cauldron at this point.

“No! No one definitely was! Look,” he gestures towards an area that she assumes is the north. “You see that small round cluster of stars over there, but with the really weird black space in the middle. That’s the Hole. Just keep walking towards the Hole and eventually you’ll fall in and end up home. That’s how the story goes.”

Arche does see the blank spot he pointed out, but she narrows her eyes contemplatively at it. “That’s not right,” she says in the end.

“Oh really? I’ve been getting the idea that I’m the only one of us that has any idea how to read the stars in the first place. What makes you think that I’m wrong about this?”

“Well, cause your always wrong obviously, but that’s not what I mean.” She bats away the hand that came to pinch her nose. “I’m serious, Chester. There’s something wrong there!”

“Like what?” She can hear the annoyance in his voice but ignores it easily.

“I don’t know! Like there’s something missing, or something.”

“Wow. Eloquent.”

“Shut up.”

Chester sighs above her head, and it just makes her frown harder. “There’s nothing missing, Arche. The stars have always looked that like, ever since I was a kid.”

“That’s it! The stars! The stars are all wrong! There’s supposed to be a star in the middle there, that’s why it looks so empty!”

“The only thing empty around here, is the inside of your head. What are you even talking about? There’s never been a star there.”

She’s shaking her head hard at this point. “No, that’s where the north star used to be, I’m sure of it! It was how I always used to find my way home when I finished visiting Rhea in Hamel. As long as I kept that star to my back, I knew I’d make it home eventually.”

“I’m being serious too! There’s never once been a star there. I would know! I’ve been following them since I was kid.”

“And _I’ve_ been using that one since I was a kid, too! How do I know that you’re not just making all of this up to mess with me?”

Chester’s started to run his free hand down his face. “Cause Cress got the exact same lessons as I did growing up. You can check with him tomorrow and he’ll say the same things I have.”

Arche gasps she sits up straight in realization. “That’s it! We can ask Claus. Let’s just wake Claus up and he can confirm everything. I know that he’ll agree with me that there’s a star missing!” She starts to stand up and walk towards where their summoner is sleeping, only to get pulled back by Chester.

“We can’t wake him up, Arche.”

“What? Why not?” She looks at him in confusion, at the panicked look in his face, and groans “Oh, I get it. You just don’t want to get proof that I’m right, and you’re wrong.”

“No, that’s— that’s not it.” She’s surprised at how red his face has turned, but follows his eyes to their still clasped hands, and finally understands. Her face quickly turning a shade to match his own. 

“Oh.” She _can’t_ wake Claus up, because then there'd be too many questions, and they don’t have the answers to any of them. She _can’t_ wake Claus up, because Chester was supposed to be on watch alone tonight. She _can’t_ wake Claus up, because she’s supposed to be sleeping right now too.

They’d have to explain why she’s up with him, and they haven’t even explained that to themselves.

“You can ask Claus about it tomorrow night.”

She nods slowly, and Arche’s not sure who made the move first, but they’ve both dropped the other’s hand. They’re both not looking at each other anymore either, Chester stubbornly staring at the bright blue moon of Sylvarant while Arche looks towards where her makeshift sleeping bed is set up, carefully holding her hand in her other one. They’re both way too close to touching on what ever this thing between them is, and neither are ready for it.

“I-I should get going to bed.”

“Good idea, I need to wake Cress up for his turn at watch soon anyway.”

With that, they separate, neither looking over their shoulder at the other, intent on putting an end to this night as easily as possible.

Arche never does remember to ask Claus about the missing north star the next evening, never remembers to ask him about it any night actually. In fact, she doesn’t really remember about it until after Dhaos is killed, and she’s back home with her dad. When she leaves the house one night and looks up to see the bright star nestled right in the center of the round cluster that Chester had shown to her one night. Exactly where it was supposed to be.

The sight of it hurts Arche way more then she thought it would. She always knew that the distance between her and Chester was going to hurt. She just didn’t think it was going to hurt this much.


End file.
